Madridistas everywhere were looking for hiding spots after the misery that we had to endure suffering through this match. It was humiliating. Everything that Madrid has had success with this far this season was negated after a very sub-par performance in which “los galacticos” managed very few shots on goal. Xavi and Iniesta dominated the middle for Barca while Ozil, Khedira, and Alonso had no answers for the visitors. Xavi tipped a nice ball over Casillas’ head for the first goal. Madrid had a myriad of set pieces in which to capitalize but failed. The balls were delivered and setup with accuracy by Alonso/Ozil, but no one seemed to want to attach each chance. Villa’s finishes were clinical; however, I don’t fault Casillas. The Madrid goalkeeper’s defense did absolutely nothing as far as marking on crosses and winning 50/50 balls in the back. One of the main offenders was Marcelo (who I’m not sure should be starting but Mourinho seems to favor) who managed to be behind and not goalside which allowed Pedro to crash late to punch in Barcelona’s second goal. Two more brilliant passes at the start of the second half by Messi to Villa plus a late night touch by Jeffren (who never plays, but paired with Bojan) gave the Catalans a stunning 5-0 victory. The name of the game was possession. Barca frustrated “los blancos” by running their system perfectly. They pushed Alves up the wing as always. Pedro’s speed perfectly complemented the brain’s (Xavi) playmaking abilities and Iniesta’s perfect distribution. Messi was magic as always but his acting on fouls was a bit too much. Madrid didn’t do an awful job defending him but the times they faltered as when little Leo made them pay. I’m not going to discuss Ramos’ red card at the end of the game since that was another example of a bit of exaggeration from Messi. SRamos’ reaction was intense and it’s safe to say he overreacted but fiery encounters are bound to happen in “el clasico” (Puyol wasn’t even bothered by Ramos expressing his frustration with the call). The fact that Sergio now has to sit for a sanctioned game against Valencia is a disgrace.

Gonzalo Higuain, Madrid’s formidable striker was forced to miss the match and will now be out for the next two months due to a herniated disc. His presence was sorely missed in this match and will be an upcoming hurdle for our offensive abilities. Karim Benzema was given a chance to start in his place and continued to disappoint. He may be ready for a Bernabeau exit in January. It’s now been reported that “the whites” are pursuing Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen) and Emanuel Adebayor (Manchester City) to fill this striker position since they’ll be at least another month or so without kaka. Madrid will also focus on pursuing an additional defender signing as well. Ramos and Carvalho looked shaky at times (even though they’ve been top notch all season) and Pepe got consistently burned. Patrice Evra (Manchester United) may be a good fit for that January transfer window. CR7 leads the league in goals but failed to get off an accurate shot on net (only 1-2 strikes were reasonably close). He seems to turn off during “el clasico”. He’s now also doubtful in the next match against Valencia, the club citing a toe injury.

This was Jose Mourinho’s worst league defeat in his career. Guardiola got his revenge against Mourinho after last year’s champions league semi-final loss against Inter. It’s also worth saying that Mr. Mourinho is not in the best favor with the club after his brief stint there as an assistant in the late 1990s-2000 in which he later publicly denounced his time there with the club (indirectly). It’s worth nothing that he and Louis Van Gaal did have some success there together. I think Jose was more upset with the way in which the club was run or that Barca didn’t immediately pursue him for a managerial position.

Guardiola had his men ready to play and you could tell by their attitudes that they wanted it more. Unfortunately, I think Pep is a system coach and when you have the Spanish national team (pretty much, 7 of 12 starters were on national world cup winning team) plus Messi who know how to play together, it’s fairly hard to lose games. The beautiful style in which they play is maintained by Pep but it’s not his invention. But hey, maybe I’m just jealous that my beloved team has lost 5 in a row to their biggest rival? Whatever the case may be, mark my words: “los merengues” will play a much better match in mid-April of next year. The bottom line: Mourinho is a winner and won’t tolerate being embarrassed, the team will have overcome most of its injuries and chemistry issues come Sprigtime, and there may even be a few new signings by then.

Don’t get me wrong, this Barcelona team is special and they deserved the result they earned. But, I must say that I don’t know if it’s the best Barcelona team ever assembled. Nevertheless, for me, there’s one team that still remains the all time winningest football club in the history of Spanish football; and that team is Real Madrid. Hala Madrid!!! And don’t forget. We’ve still got the champions league in full swing, the copa del rey, and a league title to decide for this very young season.

[1]

Messi had two brilliant assists to Villa while Sergio Ramos acted out in frustration and was shown red